The List: 18 Oct 1996 (Issue 291)

Sean Connery isn’t quite himself in the fantasy adventure Dragon/wart,

but his distinctive voice breathes fire into an ancient creature. The living legend tells Alan Morrison how he brought another legend to life.

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10 The List I8-3l Oct I996

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Fiery relatlonshlp: Draco and Dennis auald .t’s a Scottish pub pastime. as popular as darts or pool. In a smoky corner,

someone will be transforming each s

into a softer ‘sh’. taking allitera- tion to ridiculous extremes as the jokesh shubtlely addressth towardsh

Shcotland’sh favourite shon.

In the English-speaking film world, few voices are instantly recognisable. Jack Nicholson maybe; Clint Eastwood possibly; Scan Connery’s Celtic tones most definitely. So much so that it was something of a political coup when the rallying call tojoin the SNP in a recent television advert came from the mouth of the man Edinburgh still hails as Big Tam.

Back on home turf for this year’s Drambuie Edinburgh Film Festival, Connery again provided the press with plenty of political bons mots. Interestingly enough. the reason for his visit — the British premiere of Dragon/rear! — was another rare example of the actor being hired for his vocal talents rather than his physical presence. In this medieval adventure. Connery provides the voice for Draco. the last of the dragons. who teams up with a knight of the old school (played by Dennis Quaid) in order to break a tyrannous king’s grip on the land.

Draco is superbly brought to life by the team of computer boffins at George Lucas’s special effects company. Industrial Light And Magic, in the same manner as the Jurassic Park dinosaurs.